Nosbonsing

We're at Lake Nosbonsing right now... working the sunken island, shorelines, and islands for musky for the past 2 days with no success... Casting all kinds of crank baits, bucktails, and plastics. No followers for the past day... It's overcast, cold, and pouring rain...what do we need to do to get a fish ?

go to the fish market ?

Keep Fishing

Where are you staying?
Trolling may be the ticket.

Nothing not even a glimpse tried everything haha

Sounds like my kind of Muskie weather conditions.This time of year I would stay away from shallow bays that show dying aquatic vegetation and stick to rocky shoals,humps and saddles.Forage fish such as Herring/Ciscoe will be migrating to spawn on the shallow rocky shoals soon and the Muskie should be making their way to these areas now and stage in these areas in anticipation of the abundant food train that will be arriving.Huge females can usually be taken as they will be feeding voraciously in preparation for the winter months.Try some surface lures during the calm waters of early morning and late evening,i.e.,Ramblers,Poe's Jackpot jerk bait,Suicks,etc..During the choppy water afternoon I would throw crank baits towards any points that wind is blowing the choppy waters onto.Trolling at the 10-15 foot depth range with a Grandma,Believer,Shallow Raider,Jake,etc.My favourite colour for this time of year is something with a Lake Herring pattern.Olive green on top fading into a lighter shade of green to the lateral line area and then to a white or silver.I would not work buck tails too much at this time of year as they do not seem to as productive.Also remember to slow down your retrieval and trolling speeds to about 2-4 mph as the colder water will have an effect on fish just as it does humans.One other method that has worked great for me in the fall when all else fails is to use a live white sucker rig and just drift over areas letting the bait do the work.I usually take loosen the drag considerably so the fish can swim with it without resistance.Let the Muskie play with it for a minute until it has time to turn the bait so it will be eaten head first,as they tend to do,...then drive the hook home.don't forget to tighten the drag before doing so,lol,...I have lost fish by not doing so.

I will be heading to Lake Nipissing in a couple of weeks to try my hand at hooking into a fall monster.

Good luck with the rest of your Muskie fish and let us know how you made out.

Below are a couple articles written by a local Muskie guide for the Lake Nipissing waters,however they can be applied to any lake.I would think that the lake you are fishing has a population of Herring/Ciscoe,Suckers and Whitefish too.

ARTICLE 1:In Lake Nipissing we have healthy populations of bait fish such as lake herring (ciscoes), smelt, various shiner species, and white sucker, to name a few. Species such as herring are the true migrators. I’ll use them as the prime example of bait movement in this lake. Herring show up everywhere on the lake in the fall to spawn on rocky reefs and humps when the water temperatures reach the mid to low 40s. Herring are cold water animals and the fall water temperatures are favourable to their spawning activity. They’ll over-winter in the same vicinity where they spawn if food is available. Enter the herring’s favourite food into the picture and you’re looking at the shad fly hatch of June and July. Shad fly larvae spend 7 years on the lake bottom in water generally no deeper than 13 feet, which also happens to be the depth of usable light penetration and the deepest weed growth. All fish species love to eat shad fly larvae. Even when July water temperatures reach an uncomfortable high for the herring, they’ll stick around to cash in on the bountiful shad fly hatch. But when that hatch is done the schools of herring make a bee line for cooler water. If they didn’t do so they’d risk a major die-off from heat stress.
Every year, just after the shad fly hatch, the herring schools swim up to 20+ kilometres to seek haven in the deep holes of the French river, which reach depths close to 200 feet. These holes are the only place on the entirety of Lake Nipissing where you’ll find a guaranteed thermocline. Sometimes the only cold water to be found in August is 90 feet down over 170 feet of water! If the oxygen levels near the bottom are depleted the cold water fish species become sandwiched between a low oxygen level on the bottom and high water temps on top. On your sonar you’ll see a dark dense band of bio-mass between 90 feet and 120 feet depending on the severity of the summer temps. When the cold strong winds of fall begin to churn the water, oxygen and cool temperatures are once again introduced back into the holding depths of the herring, signalling them to rise up and make their way to the spawning sites and shad fly hunting grounds, thus completing their yearly cycle.
Now, if you’re a big fish hunter like myself you’ll want to insert your quarry into this equation. The biggest pike and muskies in any system are cool water animals, unlike their hammer handle off-spring, and seem to be nomadic or pelagic like the food they follow. During much of the summer and early fall calendar periods, the largest muskies and pike in the system are rarely encountered. The places they frequent are out of range of most anglers. However, as signalled by the colder weather of later September through October, those same pike and muskies will return closer to shore to feed and over-winter near their spawning areas.
An interesting margin of activity occurs in September and early October. Because the cooler water temps are favourable to the big toothy critters, they seem to migrate first, just before the schools of herring. Upon arrival at or close to their destination, they’ll feed aggressively on the available target species, such as schooling smallmouth bass and walleye.  Also occurring is the colder water’s effect on the shallow vegetation. Weed beds  begin to die off, thus exposing many of the year’s bait fish that lived there throughout summer.That’s the bite we usually equate with the first cold snap of September  through into early October.  When the herring and whitefish arrive in mid to late October, it becomes yet a another game. This is the time when the absolute largest fish make their appearance. Concentrated forage is the key to locating large predators like pike and muskies. Watch for these trends this fall and you’ll sharpen your game for the big heavies. Remember: get a big one, photograph and release promptly. This will ensure more and bigger fish for the future.
Good luck and best fishes this fall,
Dan Colomby /www.nipissingmuskies.com

ARTICLE 2: I’ve just come off my best guiding season yet. I did everything by the book. I followed the weather patterns and took advantage of nature’s windows of opportunity. But still the real giants eluded me. Yes, we knocked on the door of several 40 pounders but they didn’t quite reach that magic number. (We did miss an absolute late fall pig this year on a straightened hook though we never saw her.) I’ve come to the conclusion that muskies become a different breed of animal when they reach that 50 pound class. The following observations support this conclusion.

          client with a beautiful 52 inch 38lb November muskie.

1) Spots that produce numbers of smaller muskies don’t seem to produce monsters at the same time. I suspect that forage size/type and water depth play a role in this dynamic. This is only a theory through observation.
2) Typically, many of the largest muskies caught in my water are blundered upon by fishermen who are either newbies or who are targeting other species. These anglers didn’t read the book and many were fishing unlikely places when the monsters gave themselves up. One interesting theory suggests that real old muskies become somewhat senile and begin to wander aimlessly as they age. These might not be the heaviest fish in the system but they’re probably the longest fish (as length denotes age, not weight.) A senile older fish might not be able to feed as efficiently as one in its prime and may therefore be forced to wander in search of alternative or inferior forage that is easier to catch. Encounters with these fish are generally a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Luck is definitely a factor of success.
3) Conditioned muskies change their habits. Tracking studies have shown that older conditioned fish will change their habits drastically in an effort to avoid the unpleasant experience of being caught again. After several captures, they’ve learned to avoid both human and boat noises, especially in shallower water. Try deeper water structures near the areas where you ‘used to’ catch them. Night fishing is also an effective approach for spooky muskies. Lastly, extra-long casts and a stealthy approach are always good ideas when chasing big spooky muskies in skinny water. If possible, drift into a spot with the wind and even turn off your sonar if you don’t need it.
4) Anglers who specifically target the biggest fish in the system don’t usually rack up numbers. A few associates I know will target my water at very specific times of the year during those magic windows of opportunity. These individuals are veterans of the sport and have spent many fruitless hours on my lake in pursuit of giants. Persistence pays off though as these few guys will land a 50 pound class fish maybe once a year or so, that’s ONE fish, maybe.
5) My biggest baits catch medium size aggressive fish. It’s been a fairly consistent observation in my boat. My very largest muskies, (over 54 inches), that I’ve either lost at boatside or that I’ve seen landed in other boats were all caught on lures no more than 10 inches in length, and in many cases, only 6 to 8 inches in length. Maybe a 40 or 50 pound muskie, bloated with food in late fall, is more likely to open its mouth for a small morsel rather than expend the energy to chase down larger prey. Personal experience speaks the loudest here.
6) We can learn from pike. There are many studies that show pike, ( in the same biological family as muskies), in the 20 pound class and larger, as having quite different needs and preferences from smaller pike. It is widely known that large pike prefer much colder water and will feed almost exclusively on oily cold water forage such as herring and whitefish when available. These fish are a select group that, like giant muskies, are rarely encountered. Studies that could be done on large muskies might show a similar set of preferences and increase our understanding of their as yet unknown behaviour.
7) The biggest muskies only show up in late fall. During the rest of the year these giants are nowhere to be seen…or are they? I think that giant muskies don’t just change where they feed from one season to the next, but also how they feed. As we know, in late fall the mature breeding muskies seem to be much more aggressive and consistent in their feeding patterns. Now consider this: my lake has a huge forage base and a ton of water to house its inhabitants in. By the time I encounter that one big mama, she’s already stuffed herself to the gills to become a fall bloater. Why aren’t more of these fish being contacted in late fall if they’re feeding so heavily? 
               Under normal conditions, the largest muskies adopt different feeding habits that safely remove them from close proximity with anglers through most of the year. This can mean either they’re inordinately deep, inaccessibly shallow, or simply active at a time of day or night when anglers are scarce. But because of the extreme urge to over-feed in late fall, it is much more likely that a big muskie will make a mistake and wander too shallow and too close to fall anglers. In the case of Lake Nipissing, this huge body of water experiences a lot of wind turbulence. The lake rarely forms a thermocline which suggests that there will be oxygen and preferred temperatures at greater depths on a consistent basis throughout the year. It is therefore a greater possibility that the deeper depths could be the preferred hang-out of elusive giant muskies. In our fall pursuit, we  need to consider points of vulnerability. The effect of the full moon in October and November is one such point as it  can push the giants over the edge and cause them to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do during the rest of the season like rising shallower in the water column to feed on suspended herring. We’re essentially looking for that one muskie to make a mistake.
My conclusion and advice for those fishing Lake Nipissing for that elusive giant is this: Enjoy the hunt! Experiment and try new places, new tactics, and different baits. Most of my largest muskies (over 50 inches) this year came from spots where I’d never caught muskies before! Try to think differently from the status quo. Think more like that muskie who is trying to elude its captors. Maybe night fishing is the ticket, or maybe they’re hiding in deeper water. Very shallow water is also an option on Nipissing. I hear too many reports of tournament bass anglers tying into a large muskie in 2 feet of water! Think outside the box. Be different.
       In a way I envy the opportunities of the non-professional muskie angler. I constantly feel the pressure to put my clients on fish therefore I hesitate to experiment too often with clients in the boat…unless I really have to. However, this past season saw some experimental forays produce a handful of welcomed surprises! So….stop trying to be a good muskie fisherman….and just get into the adventure of the hunt. Don’t follow the pack (or me for that matter). Do your own thing and be prepared for anything. Manufacture your own once-in-a-lifetime experience. It can be the most gratifying approach to muskie fishing.

Great articles. Thanks for sharing them....

We just got back from 2 weeks on the lower French and were totally skunked for the entire two weeks we were there. The only fish we caught was a small pike that my wife caught. Last year, I had 3 boated in the first week alone. Never got shut out like that in a long time. The cabbage beds were holding fish as we each had a nice bet of followers, but none we showing as being active - a couple bumped the bait and moved on. Others at the same camp weren't doing anything either.

We took an afternoon to visit our friends at Mashkinonje (formally Lucky Strike) and the folks staying there were reporting limited action as well. The weather really changed once we arrived and had a lot of wind. Fronts coming through it seemed every other day.

We were seeing fish, but that's it. We did a lot of trolling too, but no action there either.

Good luck.
Rich

sorry to hear gord we were also up on this past weekend with no luck at all

did seem to be quite a few boats on the water.

great articles muskie hunter

Last year I had the same thing happen from Sept.21-28.Fished from South Bay to Hunters Bay,Gull Islands,Lonely Island,Manitou Islands,Goose Islands,French River and all points in-between and came up empty with only one follow and a strike by a decent sized fish on the last day in the evening just off Three Pine Island.The weather had warmed up during that week and surface water temps went from 52F to 60F in 6 days.Algae bloom also appeared which seemed to shut things down even for the Walleye and Bass.Hell,earlier in the week we were catching SM Bass & Pike while trolling from Muskie,...figures!

For the reasons above I decided to wait later into the fall this year and will head to South Bay again from Oct.4-11.I figure the water temps will decrease to acceptable low temps and hold which may trigger the Herring to start migrating towards the spawning grounds which in turn may will trigger the Muskie to start staging in those areas beforehand.One can only hope.

Thanks Muskie Hunter....

We definitely fished on the rocky wind-blown points, trolled for hours in 10-15 foot of water with believer, depth raider, live target... I was tossing the surface lures for a few hours each day as well. We tried the sucker rig all over the place. Pretty sure they had no interest in anything from the cold front that went through.

We managed 1 small musky Friday Evening in the first half hour of fishing.

Then from Saturday Morning to Monday Afternoon.... probably 25-30 hours of fishing in the cold rain not a single musky seen... it was just brutal and I already want to go back lol

For those muskie hounds interested (and there almost seems like there's sufficient numbers now to have a separate message board).........the excerpts that 'Muskie Hunter' has posted come from the website of local Callander guide Dan Colomby (www.nipissingmuskies.com).
Dan is a very knowledge muskie fisherman that has been guiding and fishing the full length and breadth of Nipissing waters for many years now. Dan also writes a very good monthly fishing article for the publication Nipissing Reader (www.nipissingreader.com)....available to read on-line.... which quite often has good recent, and up to date, insight into muskie fishing on L. Nipissing, as well as other species......and important topics involving the health of the Nipissing water shed.
If you're at all interested in fishing the upper French/Nipissing waters, Dan's monthly articles in the Nipissing Reader are a must read.
On a personal note I've fished with Dan myself several times and have had many good discussions with him regarding Nipissing sportfishing and muskie fishing in Nipissing specifically.
I can highly recommend Dan as a very competent guide should anyone what to avail themselves of such services.
For those planning on a muskie trip to Nipissing in the coming weeks.......although, the water temperatures are dropping steadily (The National Data Buoy Center, Station 45152 at the mouth of the French river shows surface water temps today at 58+F...yesterday 59+F)......temperatures are still to high to precipitate the whitefish or herring baitfish spawn. Whitefish generally prefer water temps below 43F to have a successful spawn and Herring (Cisco) spawn a few weeks after the whitefish do. The start of seasonal fall movement of these baitfish towards their spawning grounds will most definitely have began, but, it is still some time away from finding the huge spawning schools of herring that generally gather in later October, November and early December.
Herring can spawn in as little as 3-10 feet of water but also spawn pelagically in 30-40 ft of water as well. So it may be just a tad early yet to find the large packs of roaming pike and muskie that extensively prey on these fish as they gather for their annual spawning ritual.
Definitely troll areas in and around the main-lake rocky spawning shoals as muskie and pike will be starting to arrive in those areas.... but until the water temps drop further and the fall baitfish movement is in full swing.....continue to spend adequate time fishing the deeper green weeds still remaining at the mouth of any natural bays emptying into the deeper water of the main lake basin. Deeper thick green weeds will continue to hold muskie bait fish (perch in particular, bass, pickerel, bullheads and suckers) until the weeds complete die and cease to give off oxygen and provide protective cover. Quite often fishermen quit fishing weedy bays entirely as soon as they see the shallower weeds dying as the water cools......there is still plenty of 'green' healthy weeds (particular coontail) surviving on the fringe of these bays in slightly deeper water. It's there where many of the remaining minnows and baitfish pull back to before heading to their wintering grounds.
Good luck to the musky crowd in the coming weeks. Keep us all informed on your results and your observations....fish porn is always welcome.
Richesox.......did you fish the Hartley Bay area down to Georgian Bay when you fished the lower French? It's the only area of the French system that I've had reports of near normal muskie catch rates going through the late summer early fall period.
When you head to the West Arm next June again let the board know.........I'd like your input on conditions there leading into the next fishing season.

Grumpa.

I used to fish the lower French, staying at Bear's Den Lodge, but this was quite a while ago and before my musky fishing days. Haven't been there in 10+ years.

We'll be back on the West Arm for the June musky opener next year